The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-29
A Champion of Red Hair.
From The CAicaao journal.


| Red hair, believe, is a characteristic
! mark of the Germanic race alone. With
this race, at least, it is the normal type, al
| though, of course, sporadic instances of it
occur among the Latin and the Slavic
race. Hence among people of pure Ger
manic blood, among the Germans, the
Scaudinavians and the Saxons the posses
sion of red hair is to be regarded as con
forming with the normal type and as the
surest possible sign Of pure blood and I'M
mixed descent. Wherever the newcomers
were left pretty much to themselves"
| wriles Mr.. John Fiske 'sas in North Ger
many, Central Russia and Scandinavia,
we should find the auburn hair and blue
eyes of the old Aryan still in the as
cendant."
Another race that shows its esthetic an
probation of the higher and purer type is
the Nubian. 1t is their universal custom, we
are told, to dye their hair red with unslack-
ed lime
The esthetic sense Of the Nubians in this
matter has come cIlriously close to that of
the artists of our own race Auburn hair
time out of mind has been the favorite of
artists. Examine the pictures of the great
colOrists of the Venetian school, if YOU
want abundant and striking example Of
this.
And not only has auburn hair been n
favorite with artists, but it has also been
peculiarly the hair which goes with the
artistic temperament itself Hundreds Of
cases to evince the truta of this, state
Inent could easily be brought together. 1t
will suffice to mention a few selected at ran
dom:
Shakespeare-The ancient bust over
Shakespeare's grave at Stratford is painted
with hazel eyes and auburn hair and beard.
This bust has long been considered the most
authentic likeness of the poet.
Milton is described by Prof. Mason as
having Eight auburn hair"
Schiller was ''pale with auburn hair"
George Eliot had rich auburn hair"
OF Keats it is said, "His eyes were large
and blue, his hair auburn
Heine had "long auburn hair and was not
of Jewish aspect"
Carlyle had shaggy reddish hair"
DIR. Johnson's hair was "carrotyn
Cervantes had 'aquiline features and
chestnut hair
Alieri was 'tall thin, pallid, with red
hair, says Rossetti,. and Rossetti himself
YVES ''auburn-tinted." ", w.
Mr. James Russell I,owel's hair and beard
in his younger days were ''tinged with
auburn" -r,r s7f BIZ
The poet Swinburne has auburn hair.
Two American Presidents, Thomas JEFF
ferson and President Tyler, had auburn
hair. 49,.
People with auburn hair, it is seen, walk
with distinguished company Moreover,
it is hardly to be esteemed mere accident
that auburn hair and Poetic genius consolt
SO often together. The explanation of it /
conceive to be this: 8agrly
The possession of red hair and the marks
that go with it are almost always the sign
of the possession of more than the average
stock of vitality. The auburn-haired man,
it is true, is not usually of stronger physique
than his neighbor, but his vitality is more
intense, it is moro available less is wasted
in mere friction and in overcoming resist
ance, so to say; less is wasted in the mere
mechanical and animal operations Of the
body. The sensibilities Of auburn-hair
people, it is frequently observed, are keener
and more delicate their moral and esthetic
emotions are more quickly touched, the play
OF their faculties is more rapid than those Of
other people. Often, it must be confessed
this quality is carried to excess, and the
character becomes morbid and over-sensi-
tive. This fact undoubtedly explains much
of the popular feeling toward red-headed
people. They are touchy aud irritable, and
it is often hard to comprehend their actions
For they are of the race of the poets and
artists, and are, as ! have shown,
above aristocrats by birth-na-
lures aristocrats. In her novel,
"Friends, Duet" Elizabeth stuart
MOI heo very suDOlg c&poccu bie secret Oh
this temperament. ''Nordnall,n she writes,
"knew that he had auburn hair and eyes to
match it, and that he might any day make
an outrageous blunder. He was learned to
analyze temperament, which is either
mans first friend or deadliest foe"
That is the secret Of It, The auburn
haired temperament is given to extremes.
1t seldom follows the beaten path. IL is
ardent and intense. as nature made ii and
meant il to be. Why should the rest OF the
world quarrel with il that it is not even such
a one as ltself2